Panera Breads in Cranston, Warwick and East Greenwich are inviting their customers to join the fight against breast cancer by eating its signature Pink Ribbon Bagel for breakfast, lunch or dinner during national Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Twenty-five cents from each Pink Ribbon Bagel sold at the bakery-cafes will be donated to Kent Hospital in Warwick. Pink Ribbon Bagels will also be offered at the hospital’s various Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities throughout October. The Panera Breads in Cranston, Warwick and East Greenwich are three of six bakery-cafes in Rhode Island owned and operated by leading franchisee, Howley Bread Group, LTD based in Cumberland.

“In addition to the funding of our programs, the continued reinforcement of the hospital’s education and early detection message within the community is paramount,” said Sandra Coletta, president and CEO of Kent Hospital. “Our long partnership with Panera Bread and its Pink Ribbon Bagel campaign has helped us consistently meet both of these objectives.”

The Panera Pink Ribbon Bagel is baked fresh daily in each of Panera Bread’s bakery-cafes and features cherry chips, dried cherries, cranberries, vanilla, honey and brown sugar. The project follows the tradition of thinking pink during the month of October in the quest to eradicate breast cancer disease. Sue Stees, one of Panera Bread’s first franchisees and a breast cancer survivor, developed the idea for the Pink Ribbon Bagel in 2001 as a way to help support the cause. Today, the program is employed in all of Panera Bread’s more than 1,275 bakery-cafes across the country.

“Kent Hospital has been a local champion of the cause for many years and we’re honored to join them again in their efforts to increase awareness of breast cancer,” said Sean Noel, district manager for Panera Bread/HBG. “So, we ask everyone to follow the hospital’s lead, give one of our Pink Ribbon Bagels a try and help fight this terrible disease in the process.”